Rose Bowl Is Flexible With NFL

A week after Rose Bowl officials asked the NFL for exclusive negotiating rights, Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard said Tuesday the city is willing to have discussions with the league on a non-exclusive basis.

“We would have preferred exclusive negotiations,” said Bogaard, adding the city will go to “Plan B” now that the league is considering building a stadium in Carson.

Bogaard said Pasadena is requesting it be reimbursed by the NFL for expenses incurred pursuing the negotiation and that the league commit to a time frame for a decision on the Rose Bowl.

“We’re looking to the NFL to make a proposal to us,” he said.

Investment banker John Moag, leading the efforts to bring an NFL team to the Rose Bowl, presented a proposal to the league last week that included a 10-day deadline for a response on the exclusive-negotiation request. Original reports indicated it was a seven-day deadline.

Moag has been in discussions with the NFL this week and plans to brief the Pasadena City Council on the NFL response when it comes.

-- Sam Farmer and Tina Daunt

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The New Orleans Saints have acquired linebacker Derrick Rodgers from the Miami Dolphins for their seventh-round draft pick next year.

Rodgers, 6 feet 1 and 230 pounds, started 89 of 93 games at weakside linebacker for the Dolphins after being drafted in the third round in 1997. He has 378 tackles, nine sacks and three interceptions in his career.

Boxing

International Boxing Federation cruiserweight champion James Toney was arrested at his home in Sherman Oaks and charged with failing to pay more than $100,000 in child support for his 10-year-old daughter.

Toney was ordered in December 1999 to pay $583.29 a week. Although he made some payments, he missed many and owes $103,370.39, a spokesman for the Michigan attorney general’s office said.

Toney and his promoter, Dan Goossen, could not be reached for comment.

Golf

Even though Annika Sorenstam missed the cut at the Colonial, the overnight rating for CBS’ third round reflected her appearance, scoring a 2.5 rating that reflects a 19% increase over last year’s overnight rating.

Excluding third-round coverage of the Colonial in 1997, which drew a 4.1 rating and was the only year Tiger Woods played the event, Saturday’s telecast was the highest-rated third round in 12 years. National Nielsen ratings are not available until Friday.

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Fred Couples earned a full exemption into his 20th U.S. Open next month at Olympia Fields Country Club by moving into the top 50 in the world rankings.

Couples is ranked 29th. He was ranked 147th in January.

Nine others also earned exemptions by improving their rankings: Stuart Appleby, Paul Casey, Darren Clarke, Niclas Fasth, Brad Faxon, Steve Flesch, Bernhard Langer, Kirk Triplett and Scott Verplank.

Seventy-three players are fully exempt into the tournament, June 12-15, at Olympia Fields, Ill., and sectional qualifying for the remaining 83 spots will take place Monday and Tuesday at 13 sites.

Auto Racing

The Indianapolis 500 drew a 5.1 rating with a 13 share on ABC, down slightly from last year’s overnights, when it had a 5.3 and a 14 share.

The race was challenged by the evening telecast on Fox of NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600, which had two rain delays but still drew a 4.9 overnight rating with a 10 share, up over its 4.8 a year ago.

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Winston Cup driver Jerry Nadeau was released from a Virginia hospital and moved to a rehabilitation center in Charlotte, N.C., nearly a month after suffering a head injury and a fractured shoulder in a crash during practice at Richmond International Raceway.

Miscellany

ESPN today will announce that surfing has been added to the competition lineup for X Games IX, which will be held in the Los Angeles area in August. The competition, with an East Coast vs. West Coast format, will take place Aug. 9 at Huntington Beach.

Most of the X Games competition, involving more than 300 of the world’s top action sports athletes, will take place Aug. 14-17, with Staples Center as the primary venue.